Kid at Heart
by Oceanwind
Summary: What kind of backwards thinking was this? To try and arrange a marriage... do their parents even know what century this is? They are lucky they don't hate each other... but how exactly do they dance around this awkward situation from here... with the cat out of the bag now, do they have much choice in the matter? KidxMaka Sleeping Beauty inspired.
1. Prolouge

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Soul Eater or the Disney 'Sleeping Beauty'… although not sure if I need a disclaimer for that if I'm just using a little bit of their plot line… but whatevas!

Also mild warning for this chapter. There's a lot more dialog in this chapter than what I normally prefer... anyways enjoy~!

**Kid at Heart**

**Prologue**

"Splendid idea Spirit," clapped the overly happy Lord Death.

"I didn't mean it like that. You can't have my little girl! I was just saying—"

"Well I wouldn't technically have her. Kid would," the Lord interrupted oblivious to his partner's growing distress.

"I… No! She's too young!"

"I didn't mean it in that way you pervert. I just meant that they would get married, besides she couldn't do better than a Death Lord could she now? Don't you want what's best for your daughter?"

"Of course I do! But she just turned two years old. Don't you think it's a little early to be thinking about these things?" hissed the scythe.

They were standing in front of the mirror watching the said girl who Spirit had just been cooing over. He had made some off comment about how he could never fully soul residence with Death when his daughter was so special to him and owned so much of his soul. He meant it as a joke but Death had turned his around on him a different way. He suggested that their children get married in the future as a way to make their bond stronger. It was insane. And more than the usual type of insanity he had to deal with from Lord Death.

"Nonsense! Besides we have many _many_ years to work out the details Spirit. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Those two already get along swimmingly as it is. I doubt anything will go wrong."

"…"

"I'll take that as a yes and we're going through with this. I'll go tell Kid—"

"We'll wait until their older!" squealed the scythe his voice nearing hysterics at an alarming rate. Was he really going along with this? Why did it feel like he had just traded up his precious daughter?

"Nonsense. Can't have them going around and falling in love with other people can we?"

"Their 2 and 4 years old… I highly doubt it has crossed their minds…" he protested but now it was weakly against his partner's babbling. He had already dialed Kid's nanny and had him on the mirror breaking the news to him. _Oh Maka… sweet Maka… please forgive me_, he thought to himself shaking slightly.

He paused at the door, hoping that he could have something else to protest about this, but the words escaped him. He had originally been called in here since Death was asking him to go on a mission. How the hell they had been distracted by their children when they weren't even around was anyone's guess. Alone his constant cooing about his daughter had probably been why the subject had been brought up… He sighed. He needed to find Stein; they were supposed to be out on a mission together. Maka was safe for now, no one was taking her away, his wife was busy taking care of the girl in question… and then maybe afterwards he could go to the bar and ask some advice from some of those friendly bar maids.

()()()()()()()()

Rage coursed through him. The images were burned into his mind. Where was the child? Was he safe? He couldn't fight the sickening feeling that seemed to engulf him. He wanted her to pay, he wanted her death, he wanted to eat her soul and make her suffer for her crimes. How could a mother do that to their own child?

Black arrows sprouted out of thin air, and he was wheeled expertly in Stein's hands to destroy them. They continued down the dark alleyway path, following her soul as she seemed to dance across the city.

"Oh boysss~" she cooed, her voice resembling a snake. She appeared out of the shadows with her arrows whipping around her violently towards them.

Stein wheeled him expertly away from her vector arrows just in time. He sliced through one and used the staff to block another. It was hard to get within the range to strike her and Spirit was already rattled. They had just stumbled upon her son and now here she was engaging battle with them, taunting them with the fact that her son's life meant nothing to her. Where was the boy?

"Snake, snake, cobra, cobra," she leered at the pair. One of her tattoos shot off her arm and twisted into the air. The other came in their direction but he was able to slice through it easily. Spirit cringed inwardly as he felt Stein's obvious interest in the mad witch. Medusa, the woman who used her own son in an experiment just to see the effects of her bigger and grander plans, was their target. She had been stirring up a lot of trouble under the radar for quite a while now. This woman had no shame, no love for her own child and what she did to him. It made him furious, it made him sick to his stomach. _Seriously _sick.

"You dirty bitch," he hissed. "I'll never forgive you," he growled slipping out of his scythe form to speak to her properly. "He's your child! How could you treat him so badly?"

"You obviously don't understand so why should I bother explaining it to you?" she teased, her smile widened reminding him of the snakes she seemed to worship. "Maybe I should show you what it's like to lose a child?"

"You haven't lost him!" he roared panic edging into his voice. She wasn't threatening Maka was she? "He's still with you under your sick twisted control!"

"Ah… but it's not the same. Maybe you should see what it's like. Before your precious daughter that you keep babbling about turns 17 she'll trip over a scythe and di—"

"Don't you dare make such a terrible prediction," he hissed.

"Oh it's not a prediction. It'll happen," she cackled. He lunged forgetting all about being a weapon and that this was a witch. He wanted to hurt her, make her pay. His blood was boiling.

"Spirit," Stein called calmly bringing him back before he could get too close to the witch.

()()()()()()()()

"She managed to escape from us Lord Death."

"Oh? Did she?" Death replied his head titling slightly.

Stein's eye twitched slightly before he reached for his screw and twisted it a few times.

"She threatened Spirit's daughter. I'm not sure but I think she managed to place a curse on her."

Spirit whimpered in the background clutching his knees. He looked beyond terrified.

"He's scared to come near her now. The witch predicted that Maka would fall over a scythe before her 17th—"

"Just stop," Spirit hissed.

"Hmmmm. Maybe we should take some precautions. I can't have my future daughter in law getting hurt!" Lord Death said bouncing over to pat the death scythe sympathetically.

"Maybe I can help," chirped a small voice from the corner of the room.

* * *

**A/N: **And soooo our story begins. :D. I couldn't help myself… this got stuck in my head and wouldn't leave me alone! This isn't a rewrite of sleeping beauty obviously but I borrowed the plotline (a little, it's very twisted and mangled) to be a shorter condensed version of the story.


	2. I Hello

**Kid at Heart**

**Chapter One- Hello**

Kid stared blankly ahead as Soul and Black Star talked excitedly about something. He wasn't sure how he became friends with these two. The first time he had decided to come to school they had gotten into a fight in less than five seconds, yet somehow these two had become his best friends. His partners were missing, like they often were on weekends, leaving him little to do but hang out with these two. Not that he minded… that much.

Liz and Patty often disappeared with Black Star's partner Tsubaki. Something secret that none of them were allowed to know about had the three boys on edge and had been for some time now.

"They said that your dad assigned them a secret mission," Soul said in that bored tone of his. He was inquiring that he wanted to know if he, Kid, knew anything.

"I doubt Father would tell me even if I asked. He's very good at changing the subject and avoiding tough questions," he replied.

He tried to not let his irritation show but it grinded his nerves. All these stupid secrets and then just a few weeks ago his father tells him that he will finally be able to meet the girl he's been engaged to since they were children within the next year. A girl he has never met, never spoken to, he didn't even know her name, and who knew if her eyes were symmetrical or not?! He knew tons of girls that didn't have perfectly aligned faces and it bothered him, enough to the point where he barely talked to them. Black Star and Soul were constantly teasing him about never making a move on his partners or any other girls. But he couldn't help it… he just hadn't found the right girl yet and he was arranged to be married to someone else. It didn't feel right to be trying to develop feelings for another. And he really shouldn't get lost in thought around these two.

"You're paying right Kid?" Black Star asked grinning madly.

"Paying?! For what?!" he snapped.

"For the movie we all just agreed on going to," Soul said rolling his eyes.

Oh yes… again. It was best not to get side tracked around these two. He had just missed a whole conversation.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Patty, or at least what looked suspiciously like her, do a weird type of dance as she ducked under some bushes. He his brow as he whipped around to study her fully instead of from his peripherals. She didn't seem to notice him, or his intense stare. In fact she looked annoyed, Patty didn't like the heat, and she was sweating. She was clearly on edge. To give his friend some credit he opted for a short sleeve shirt instead of a long one today since the temperature seemed to climb just about 100 degrees, but Patty was rather intense with her spurts of grumpiness in hot weather. Her face was red as she carried what looked like a large pile of books. And not the thin picture books that normally distracted her, no, these looked like tomes. Not that he doubted his friend's intelligence… she was just a bit on the simpler side of things, and would never read or have the patience to sit still long enough to read those books. Those books were rather thick and looked vaguely familiar. His eyes narrowed as she disappeared behind a tree and into the forest. It was suspicious that there even was a forest around here… didn't they live right next to a desert?

"How about we finally go find out what the girls are up to?" he asked turning to his friends.

Soul looked eager, grinning mischievously as he shoved his hands into his pockets. It was Black Star's obvious nervous reaction that startled him. It looked like a moment of panic crossed the boy's face before he grinned wickedly and mimicked Soul. Not wanting to lose Patty's trail he dismissed it for a time to bring up later and with his friends in tow charged into the woods after her.

()()()()()()()()()

"It was really sweet for you guys to come this weekend but honestly I –"

"Oh Maka shush. I'm sure we've established by now that we aren't going to leave you here alone to mope around all the time and just read," Tsubaki said giving her a reassuring grin.

"I don't mope," she grumbled under her breath before adding a bit louder, "and I like to read. There's nothing wrong with it."

"Of course not," Liz said brightly patting her on the back. "We just feel bad since we barely manage to see you during the week now."

Tsubaki and Black Star had been her friends for as long as she could remember. Since she was 2 and lived her on her own with her mother for a while before her mother left because of her papa. She was probably 5 or 6 when they officially got a divorce and although Maka barely understood why she couldn't help but resent her father. She knew it was his idea to lock her up here to begin with and yet he never came to visit; only now and then he would send gifts or talk to her on the phone. He was worthless, and he was the reason her mother wasn't around anymore.

Still Lord Death had sent her Black Star and Tsubaki, and eventually Liz and Patty. She couldn't ask for a better group of friends. She loved going out of her small cabin and playing 'basketball' with them at her personal court, although she barely understood the game. She loved hanging out with them and watching movies and just talking. It filled her lonely time with a bit of happiness, and for that she was grateful.

Still this weekend she was a bit distracted, a bit upset, and she just wanted to be alone. Why? Well because even if Lord Death had called her with a cheery announcement, it sounded an awful lot like doom. She was turning 17 in a year from now, and when she did she was finally going to come face to face with her father, and to top it off she just learned that she was in an arranged marriage. She was going to leave this comfortable life and go stay with her future husband so they got to know each other sometime soon.

It all just rubbed her the wrong way. Arranged marriages were so backwards in this time, so out of touch. Her lifestyle seemed odd too. Why was it that she seemed to be hidden away from the world? All she really knew was the woods surrounding her house, and on some lonely nights she'd gaze at the city in the distance and just wish… wish that she could be able to do what she wanted. All she had were her books, and her friends.

And at this moment, she really didn't want to be around either of them. The cottage felt too small, the air too stuffy, and was it just her or were the walls inching in slightly?

She rolled her eyes as Liz waved her hand in front of her face.

"Earth to Maka… come in Maka," the older girl teased.

"Uhh… sorry guys… I just remembered I need to get Blair some food. I'll just go now—"

"Nice try," Liz growled catching her friend by the sleeve.

"Oh Liz… just let her go. We'll wait for Patty and then come get you. Okay Maka?" Tsubaki offered seeing the distress on the young girl's face.

"Thanks," she said as she grabbed her cloak and quickly made her way out of the cottage. "I'll be at the pond," she told her friends as she started making her way towards the thick tree line. As soon as she was able to round a couple of trees and out of sight, she ran.

She ran until her legs were numb, her eyes filled with tears, and her lungs seemed to be on fire. She slowed at the pond, where she normally fished for her cat Blair. Blair was a bit on the odd side, a magical cat that liked to parade around naked and use all the hot water, but Maka appreciated her company. She had found the cat and mistaken her for a witch a long time ago, and after a nasty fight they somehow agreed to live together. Still she refused to wear whatever the cat would bring home, and often they ran out of money for food because the greedy cat would go on a shopping spree.

It wasn't like Maka could go out and buy food for them.

She doubled over, panting at the water's edge. Why was it so hot out today? She shrugged off her coat and draped it over a log before sitting down with a huff. She was lost in thought before she could even mindlessly sit down.

Things plagued her mind. Blair for one always came to her mind at moments like this. There was something that just quiet didn't add up with the cat, like why did Lord Death not intervene when she had called him telling him about a 'witch'. She wasn't supposed to go out looking for trouble but he had practically sent her out to find the cat. Then again she was thankful to have someone around constantly to help stave off the loneliness, so she wasn't about to question that too deeply and had long ago come to terms with her odd Lord. She just couldn't make heads or tails of this arranged marriage. Why were they telling all of this to her now? What could they possibly be hiding? Whenever she would ask a question that seemed logical or question why she was out here in the woods by herself the subject was changed or avoided. Could it be that all this time it was because she was promised to another? Or was it something more sinister? Was it some type of curse? Was that why she was supposed to stay away from Witches and why she could never see her father in person? Then why did they send her after Blair all those years ago, when she had no training and no partner?

"Don't move!"

She squeaked in a very unflattering girl way and shot up to glance at a boy that was standing several yards away. He was tall, lean, wearing a black button down t-shirt that was open to show a red top underneath with dark cargo shorts. It was flattering on him. She couldn't help but stare at him in shock, unable to move as she soaked in his image. His eyes seemed rather unusual, piercing gold. It was something she had never heard of. Her heart pounded painfully in her ribs.

"I told you not to move!" he pouted. "The way you were sitting, it was perfectly in the center of that fallen log that was perfectly aligned with the tree behind you that has perfect symmetry. It was the most beautiful moment I had ever witnessed."

_Stranger… a stranger… am I allowed to talk to him?_ Maka thought as she awkwardly stared at the kid, at a loss of what to say to him. He looked around her age, possibly older.

"Don't you get it? That was wonderful. You have to sit back down right now!"

She timidly obeyed, glancing nervously at the boy_. I wonder if he's a weapon or a meister…_

"What's your name?" the boy questioned stepping closer to her.

She tried not to flinch, and her palms began to sweet. This boy looked so different from Black Star. Those gold eyes seemed to see right through her and there was a weird look on his face as he talked about this perfect symmetry. _I wonder if the heat has gotten to him or if he's just unbalanced_, she mused to herself again trying to quickly determine if she could trust him. She didn't like to break rules... and she wasn't allowed to talk to strangers.

"I'm terribly sorry but you'll have to excuse me. I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," she told him, standing up quickly and away from him. He inclined his head respectfully.

"But I must know your name first," he told her just as she was about to disappear around a tree. He wasn't pressuring her, not really, but it felt more like a demand than a question. It was almost like he held some authority. Maka halted, unsure if she should answer. What harm could he get from knowing her name? Surely there wasn't any… but still there was a nagging feeling in the back of her head that told her to just make a run for it. That this could only be trouble.

"I have to know," he pleaded. She faltered more and took a step back towards him.

"But you're a stranger."

"I don't have to be," he told her kindly smiling politely at her and sitting down on her vacate log. He patted the seat beside him. She hesitated further, but her feet seemed to betray her as she stood before him. Lowering herself to take a seat on the edge of the log and as far as possible from him she studied him curiously.

"Well if you won't tell me your name will you tell me if you go to the academy?" he asked.

"I'm enlisted… but I'm homeschooled," she said flatly. That seemed like an easier question to answer.

"Do you have a weapon?"

"How did you know I was a meister?" she asked her brows furrowing together tightly as she looked over at him.

"I can just tell," he teased leaning forward so that his chin rested in his hands.

He seemed to be studying her with unabashed adoration. She couldn't help but squirm uncomfortably. Where other guys like this? Or was it just him? She had really never talked to someone outside of her group of friends. She found herself wanting to talk to someone new. Someone who didn't know everything about her without her telling him, and she wanted him to tell her things. It was a desire she couldn't suppress even if she wanted to, so with that resolve in mind she timidly pushed back the need to flee. Straightening her back she faced him fully, thinking of questions to ask as he went on a tangent about symmetry, but it gave her room to think. She had a feeling he was letting her think over things without him pressuring her. _He is an odd one_, she thought. She decided to ask the first question that came to mind as a small silence broke over them.

"So are you a weapon?" she asked.

Her excitement had her leaning forward. Would she finally be able to have a partner? Finally someone who she could connect with on a different level? Finally leave that god forsaken cottage and see some of the world? Would she finally get to travel? Like her mother? Thousands of questions seemed to want to pour out of her, and she was just as intrigued by this new stranger as he seemed to be of her.

"No actually I'm—"

"Kid!" another unfamiliar voice called out cutting him off. Two pairs of footsteps came crashing out from the forest. "Kid where are you?"

"I'm Death the Kid," he answered calmly before his brow twitched slightly in what seemed like irritation. "But you may call me Kid."

"I believe you're being called for Kid," Maka smiled at him lightly.

She rang her hands across her skirt. Why was she sitting here? She shouldn't be talking to strangers, even if the instinct inside of her had told her otherwise. She could be in deep trouble if even more people found about her. She shouldn't have listened to him and sat back down. What if he hurts her? That thought almost seemed silly. No one would hurt her from the academy… but still why wasn't she allowed to actually go to school?

"I believe you're right," he said quietly.

He smiled at her and she couldn't help but notice that he was handsome. Even with the random three white lines that only rested on half of his hair. That and his smile seemed easy and she got the impression that she could trust him. She was on the verge of accepting him but to be on the safe side she wanted to see what his soul looked like and if it could tell her anything about Kid. She timidly used her soul perception and noted with awe that he had an incredibly powerful soul. It startled her to the point where she almost fell backwards off the log. Her jaw wanted to drop but she clenched her fists and made sure her only sign of nervousness was the widening of her eyes.

Before she could comment and ask him how he was so strong (or make any other idle conversation), two pairs of footsteps came crashing through the undergrowth. For a split second a shiver raced up Maka's spine as she looked at the two new comers. One had blinding white hair, and unnerving red eyes, while the other… she knew him!

"Maka?"

"Black Star?"

"What are you doing here?!" they shouted together.

* * *

**A/N: And so our story begins~**This story is going to be (a little AU) for all purposes to keep the story line and plot flowing. And this shouldn't be a long story either. I do have up to chapter 6 written but I think it'll only be 8 or 9 chapters at most.


	3. II Forbidden

**Kid at Heart**

**Chapter Two – Forbidden **

"You two know each other?" the white haired boy asked.

His eye brows shot up in confusion as he stared at what appeared to be a bookworm in front of him. Her hair was a faded blond color and tied into two neat pig tails and her eyes seemed to match the forest around them. She wore a plaid skirt, and a white button down shirt. All that was missing was the dorky pair of glasses, and you'd have the future library for the Academy.

"Uh well kind of," Maka started lamely. She shot Black Star a look hoping that he would get the hint and not blab out her secret now. Only people approved by Lord Death were allowed to know her and where she lived and those people were sworn to secrecy. She found it irritating but something she could live with it.

"Maka's under house arrest because she has an insane father. She can only have a few friends for her safety and I'm one of them because I'm going to surpass god and obviously I can protect her."

"Yes you're doing such a great job of making sure those vicious squirrels around here don't get too close," Maka growled, rolling her eyes, annoyed that he had just blabbed. She should probably go tell Lord Death about this right away. He could fix the situation. Her inner goodie goodie was taking over before she could fight it back down again. She wasn't really one for breaking rules.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner Soul," Black Star sobbed ignoring her sarcastic comment as he looked to the white-haired kid, who she assumed was named Soul. "I was sworn into secrecy, we're still best friends right?"

Maka could feel sweat drop from her brow as she looked onto the scene. So this was the infamous Soul Eater that Tsubaki and Black Star mentioned thousands of times. The kid couldn't seem to keep a partner for long but had somehow befriended the blue haired ninja over the years.

"Of course we are!" Soul exclaimed and the two shared a very gushy looking hug.

Kid sighed next to her.

"Those two are idiots."

She nodded in agreement, before realizing just who she was agreeing with. She cursed Black Star under her breath, nervous that Kid now knew her name. A piece of information she had wanted to withhold and possibly escape with even if she had decided she wanted to befriend him. It sounded childish and a bit awkward but now she was forced to accept that she had broken a rule, a very big one. She nervously brushed the edge of her skirt. She really shouldn't be out here with two strangers, even if a friend was around. Even if Kid didn't really feel like a stranger…

"Well uh… I should go," she said gathering her coat in her arms. Nervous, she shot the group another glance before starting to take off.

"Wait," Kid called out reaching out to grab her.

He couldn't let such a perfect girl run out of his life like this. He wanted to know her, he wanted to talk to her, he wanted to see if she was the one he had waited for, and he might have been a bit eager to keep her around because of these selfish reasons. Plus there was something about her that was hauntingly familiar. It was like he had met her before somewhere but he couldn't quiet recall where from. The mystery had him burning up, and he was dying to get to the bottom of it.

Despite that she was turned away from him she had waited, and turned around just as Kid reached out. His hands landed on her breasts. They both immediately flushed and he pulled his hands back acting like he had been burned.

"I'm sorry Maka. I just meant to grab your arm," he apologized bowing deeply and sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. He felt his heart sink at her expression as she hurriedly took several steps back. "It was an accident," he protested. It wasn't like his hands had landed unevenly on her. He had enough luck that he had accidently grabbed both of her boobs (as vulgar as that sounded).

Soul and Black Star were laughing hysterically. Maka felt her cheeks deepen in color as she heard Soul say something like 'I'm surprised Kid even managed to get a hold of anything. Those tits are tiny'. What kind of guy just grabs a girl like that only after just meeting her? She really needed to make a quicker exit.

"I should be going," she said roughly, angered and embarrassed she refused to look at the group. She took several steps back away from Kid before dashing back into the woods. "Bye."

"Maka wait!" he called out. He really wanted to compliment her symmetrical hair style. He had forgotten to mention it (at least while she had been listening. It looked like she had been rather frightened of him at first while he had been rambling… how stupid of him). But the girl refused to pause this time and disappeared into the woods.

"Hey what are you guys doing here?" Patty asked poking her head around from around the trees a few feet from where Maka had just disappeared.

"Yeah Kid what are you guys doing here?" Liz asked from the opposite direction, Tsubaki on her heels.

"I just met her…"

"Met who Kid?" Liz asked. Her hands found her hips as she studied the younger boy with a look of confusion.

"The girl… the girl of my dreams… everything about her was perfect…" he sighed heavily. It went unnoticed that Patty and Liz exchanged a glance, at which Liz started to sweat and Patty looked the same as ever. Black Star smiled nervously at his partner at her questioning gaze.

"We just ran into Maka," he told his partner. He watched her face pale considerably.

"Which way did she go?" she asked intending to go after her. Black Star merely pointed, who had yet to notice that there was another person missing from their small group. A person who had taken off after Maka.

()()()()()()()()()()

"Oi, wait up Maka."

"Go away Soul," she hissed, trying to push her body into a faster run.

She needed to run faster, she needed to get away from here. She was so embarrassed, why did Kid have to tell her to wait and grab her like that? And why did that stupid jerk Soul have to comment on her body? Didn't he know that girls weren't exactly happy with guys that were total jerks? She felt her skin crawl and she shivered.

Which caused her to trip and fall face first unto the forest floor.

"Dammit!" she yelled, hitting her fist roughly into the ground. Why did she feel like such an idiot? Why was that short and brief meeting with him leaving her blood pulsing? Why did those eyes look so familiar?

She stayed there for a long moment, panting, until she noticed the white-haired teen leaning over her.

"You okay there Maka?" he asked. His voice seemed bored, but there was something about his expression that caught her eye. Red eyes were pretty unusual too, and despite their rather creepy aspect they seemed friendly enough. His hooded bored expression wasn't enough to fool her.

"Why did you follow me?" she hissed, annoyed. She could feel her anger with him starting to build and she wanted nothing more than to run off, to escape. He was the one that had made fun of her, made her look like an idiot, and now here he was chasing after her.

"You seemed to take my comment the wrong way. I would be pretty uncool if I let a girl run off crying because of something I said. That's just not the kind of guy I am."

"I'm not crying," she hissed quickly wiping her face just in case the water building in her eyes had escaped. She glanced back towards him. His words, it seemed almost like he was offering her something, like he was begging her to understand something about him that was right under the surface. Everything seemed to click.

"Are you a weapon?" she blurted out, she knew the answer to her question but she couldn't help but voice it out loud. His eyes widened at her question before he smirked.

"Are you a meister?" he shot back. He leaned over, offering his hand out to her, the already common smirk that she associated with him was gone and in its place a genuine smile. His hand was warm in hers.

()()()()()()()()()()()

Liz was doing her best to try and stop her partner. Patty was useless, swatting away bugs with the giant tomes she had picked up from the library for Maka. Liz was doing her best to point out all the asymmetrical trees and the funny way the pond curved at one end and not the other. Still Kid wouldn't be deterred (for long at least), Soul had already run after the girl and it seemed to only fuel Kid's need to go after her. It wasn't like her meister to be so uncollected over a girl. Tsubaki and Black Star had gone ahead leaving Liz hopelessly trying to divert her meister back towards the Academy. He was not going to be happy with her or Patty if he found out everything right now, and she didn't even know what everything was either.

Lord Death had asked that she and Patty befriend the younger meister and see her on weekends almost a year ago now. He had said something about how he was moving her soon and he wanted her to have as many friends as possible to help her ease the transition. And she hadn't exactly protested or even questioned why Kid wasn't there. Now it seemed that the events were related and a sinking feeling in her stomach told her that her partner wouldn't be too happy that she had kept this from him.

They bumped into Tsubaki and Black Star as the trudged through the forest. Tsubaki was too focused on finding their friend then worrying about the fact that Kid was tagging along, and Black Star could only laugh loudly about how Maka had reacted at meeting his two friends. It wasn't long before they were all filled in on the brief meeting, with Kid being unusually silent about how he had even found Maka.

Maybe he had used his soul perception to find her? Liz glanced at the boy in question about to voice her internal thoughts when a light musical sound filled the air.

"That's her," Kid said to everyone. His eyes seemed to harder at a sound that he could hear that the rest of them could not. They took off at a faster pace.

Maka's light laughter filled the air, along with an odd humming noise. Even before the small group cleared the woods, Liz was certain no one had ever heard her so happy. It was touching, and so odd. Their curiosity had the group peeking out around the bushes to see what could cause their friend such happiness.

A scythe was clenched between her hands, and she whirled it around with precision and accuracy. She cut through a tree or two without problem, hacking away at the pieces in an almost mad like pattern. It all happened so fast, no one even had time to shout, as Maka slipped on her footing and lurched forward, Soul pointed up towards her chest. In his weapon form.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry about the long break everyone. I had to focus on school these past few months. I'm back for now though. I have a pretty busy summer ahead of me. :p


	4. III Sound Soul

**Kid at Heart**

**Chapter Three- Sound Soul**

"Would someone please explain to me what is going on?" Maka growled.

Matching soul wavelengths with Soul had been natural and easy. It was something she had never done before and found it impossible to describe. She had been so happy, and hearing Soul's emotions made it seem like he was happy too. He had told her no one had been able to lift him so easily before, and asked if he was heavy to her. She had told him no, he was light. Surprisingly light, and after taking a few wild swings she had stumbled because of the lightness. After falling Soul had transformed and caught her. Their friends erupted out of the woods in a blur of sound and confusion. Tsubaki had a mini freak out and called Lord Death and now here she was surrounded by everyone and her father was acting like the world was over. She wanted to scream into her pillow and demand everyone get out and leave her alone. She didn't have a choice though, and she knew if she left there was a possibility they would take Soul away and never let them see each other again. She couldn't have that. Not with this new found friendship, and finally a weapon to call her own. She couldn't give it up, she can't give him up. So she nestled herself down and braced herself for the coming storm. Plus she wanted to know why this was such a big deal. She wanted some answers, no more secrets!

She was sitting on her couch, a cup of tea resting tightly in her hands. Soul was on one side of her looking bored, with both of his hands thrown over the back of the couch as he shot her a sideways glance. Yeah, she knew better than that. They already 'knew' each other. Their soul wavelengths could match without so much of a single hitch. Despite not knowing facts about each other they would have plenty of time learning to make their bond stronger. That wasn't her concern right now.

Her concern was having her father standing outside her door looking like he wanted to rush over and hug her, all the while looking terrified of her. It was almost disgusting. She couldn't look at him. Yet her father was demanding that Soul leave and never return, he had no right to show up like this and take away a friend. She had just met Soul, she trusted him, and she had chosen him to be her partner. There was nothing her father could say or do to change this.

"Yes I would like some answers as well. Why is Miss Maka homeschooled? She doesn't seem to have any reason to be kept here," Kid asked politely snapping her out of her thoughts, yet Maka couldn't help but notice there was a slight edge to his voice. Her friends were sprawled around the apartment.

Tsubaki politely sat on the love seat with her hands folded neatly in her lap, while Black Star draped his legs over the edge of it with his arms crossed over his chest. The Thompson sisters stood near the doorway to the kitchen which was almost directly across from the main door, Liz leaning and Patty looking suspiciously like she was drawing something on the wall. Kid was behind the couch facing her father with her, his hands rested on either side of her in a very protective way, somehow avoiding Soul's sprawled out arms. She felt better with her friends around her, she felt more empowered to ask.

"You might as well tell them," Blair purred coming from the kitchen in cat form to coil around Spirit's legs.

"It's a long story," Spirit said uneasily. "But Lord Death is aware of your new friends Maka and he approves."

Kid's eyes flashed in irritation.

"Why does my father have to approve of her friends?"

Maka bit her tongue in surprise but otherwise she kept her emotions in check. She should have realized that Death the Kid was named after his father. The room seemed to grow uncomfortably thick. Black Star coughed.

"BECAUSE ONLY GREAT PEOPLE LIKE ME CAN BE MAKA'S FRIEND—"

Maka cut off the blue haired meister's rant by throwing a nearby dictionary at his head. The ninja rubbed his wounded head and shot his friend a disproving frown.

"Shut the hell up for once," she hissed before flicking her glare back towards her father. "Are you going to answer the question or not?" she growled.

"I guess I have a little explaining to do," he said quietly. The Death Scythe closed his eyes and leaned back against the door frame, before loudly exhaling. It was like he was searching for a starting point, and after several more moments he opened his mouth and timidly started.

"I'll give you guys the basics. When Maka was younger I hunted down a witch named Medusa… When my partner Stein and I found her she was in the middle of injecting some type of fluid into her son, all the while telling him that he was useless. We watched in horror as she locked him into a room and left. We were planning on getting the kid after we took her soul, but in the middle of our fight she disappeared and when we went back for the child, he had disappeared too."

"What's this have to do with Maka?" Soul asked sitting up a little straighter. He leaned forward so that his hands rested against his knees. The rest of the room (which was already unnaturally quiet) tensed.

"The witch made this terrible prediction about Maka," cried the Death Scythe. It took several minutes after this statement to calm the man down to get coherent sentences out of him again. Blair shot the weapon an apologetic smile before stepping out from behind him and addressed the group.

"Maka was supposed to die before she turned 17 after tripping over a scythe," she stated. In her cat form she looked more distraught than usual, with her ears pinned back she shot another glance to Spirit.

"What do you mean supposed to?" Kid, Black Star, and Soul all said together. The three boys exchanged irritated glances.

"Just that. She was supposed to scratch the post by now, but Lord Death and Spirit have made extra precautions to make sure Maka stayed safe and alive. I even used a little of my magic to change the curse. Although I'm not an real witch there isn't much I can do against curses, but I managed to defuse it enough so that Maka would just go into a deep sleep if it ever happens."

"And how long would I be in this deep sleep?" Maka asked. Her voice didn't betray her or the inner panic she was feeling, she had to be strong, like her mother. She tilted her chin to look her father in the eye. "Well?"

"What's the only thing in this world capable of defeating a witch's curse without a weapon?" her father asked her quietly back.

Love was the answer to that question. The truth behind it seemed to boil itself into her blood. Suddenly sitting down and listening to this wasn't enough. This was her life, her whole life, and it was being ripped out from under her feet, and it was all this man's fault. She felt a snarl build in the back of her throat.

"So by keeping me locked up not only have you kept me from finding a weapon to defend myself you've also taken away a chance for me to find love and break this spell?" she hissed.

She might have read too many romance novels, but she could feel the truth ringing out in her words and accusations. She wasn't jumping to a conclusion either; it was written all over Spirit's face that she was right. Besides they weren't giving her the chance with that stupid arranged marriage. It was so unfair!

Soul nearly jumped out of his skin as Maka launched herself towards her father; he reacted quickly and held the girl in place. Frowning he studied the girl with mild annoyance on his features, as he glanced over to the man near the door.

"That's pretty uncool keeping this from her for all these years," he glowered.

Silence greeted them as Maka tried to continue past Soul's interjections and restraint with a deadly glare fixed on her father. Everyone else seemed to have forgotten how to breathe.

"I have a weapon now. I'm going to become strong enough to defeat my fate," she hissed clenching her fists together. "And you aren't going to stop me," she yelled at her father she made to move around Soul, but Kid's hand caught her shoulder and held her in place. He gave her a gentle squeeze before guiding her back to the couch.

"You know about the one you're promised to Maka. We couldn't have you falling—" her father started gently, before Maka cut him off with a scowl.

"You couldn't have me what? Falling in love with someone on my own free will?" she snapped. Her voice was bitter as she dropped her head into her hands, curling away from everyone into her own bubble.

Black Star laughed.

"Maka, you keep it up and we might have to fight. I can't have you stealing the show," he said almost bitterly from his end of the couch. He stood, motioning for Tsubaki and the Thompson sisters to come with him. "Let's go play some hoops. It's not like we haven't heard this story a thousand times."

"But we haven't—"

"Patty we can use the chalk outside to make pictures," Liz interrupted.

She knew that now wasn't the best time to intrude on their friend. They would hear it all later. Maka normally liked to talk to her father in private, and it seemed like this was touching a subject that was a little too delicate for them to know about just yet. They had heard all the details that were vital and important. With a final push she managed to get her sister out the door.

"So is that why you are homeschooled?" Kid asked after a moment of tense silence, he directed the question to Maka but glanced at the cat to answer his question. They were all too mad to discuss the Death Scythe in the doorway. Soul shot him a pointed look.

"We didn't want Maka to make friends with any weapons that weren't already strongly partnered with their ideal match. Although the witch said a scythe would be her end, Blair's interference makes it hard to tell if it would still just be a scythe," Spirit answered flipping his hair back to rub his neck sheepishly.

"Any more questions?" Maka interjected obviously annoyed, although Kid hoped not with him. He shook his head. She had other things she wanted to attend to at the moment, while her father stood frozen at the doorway.

"Why else are you here?" she growled lowly her fists clenching. Soul sighed; plopping down on the couch beside his meister again he rolled his head to face her.

"Obviously to get rid of me," he told her.

"No," Blair said holding her paws up defensively.

"I would if I could," the older scythe growled interrupting the cat, "but I'm under strict orders not to step foot in this house."

"Scared to break a few rules, old man?" Soul teased.

A vein could literally be seen throbbing on Spirit's forehead.

"If you so much as touch a hair on my Maka's head I will kill you. You hear me brat?" he glowered, clenching his jaw.

"Speak a little louder, I can't hear you old man."

Maka turned to Kid, ignoring her new partner and her father's banter.

"Would you kindly break them up? I have other things I'd like to do," she deadpanned.

He was alarmed to see how blank her facial expression was with him. He'd only known her for a few short hours, but never once had he seen emotionless cross her face. She seemed indifferent but he could practically hear her soul screaming for order, he didn't even need his soul perception to know that.

"Back to the matter at hand," Kid said loudly stepping in between the two scythes.

"You still haven't answered my question," Maka said evenly to her father.

"You're being enrolled into classes now. Home schooling in no longer needed. You have private lessons with Lord Death to assess your situation, what missions, what level you'll be and what classes you can take. To keep a closer eye on you, you'll be living with Kid here until further notice," her father said quickly. "And now that you live closer maybe we can go get some coffee?" he asked hopefully tacking it on in such a rush it barely seemed to escape his lips.

"No way," Maka snapped, she huffed and faced away from her father.

"And why the sudden change?" Soul snapped. "Weren't you guys focused on keeping Maka away from as many people as possible?"

"Well since your sorry ass decided to chase after my daughter and become her partner it's a moot point to keep her away from everyone else. We'll just keep a better eye on her now and it'll be easier to have her with Kid and in the city," Spirit said coolly, slicking back his flaming red hair.

"I'm her partner. Shouldn't we live together?" Soul asked.

"Over my dead bo—"

"When do you think you can move in Soul?" Maka asked ignoring her father. "I'm not leaving this house, and the Academy isn't that far away we could walk together to school. We would have a lot of privacy," she said sweetly smiling at her new friend.

Kid couldn't help but smile lightly at the miester as her father fell to the floor. The wail that escaped him hardly sounded human but it was justified. This man hardly had any right to call so many shots in his daughter's life. Maka seemed stubborn too. It was good to have a solid resolution so quickly about a tough subject. He admired her for it.

But why was his heart sinking into his chest at her words?

"Tonight if you want," Soul said grinning.

"Perfect. We can stay up late and talk. Matching our soul wavelengths will be much easier," Maka said smirking. Her father continued to wail incoherently on the floor.

"You'll help me move right Kid?" Soul turned to him and asked.

"Of course. I'll make sure everything is packed symmetrically," Kid answered with a grin.

* * *

**A/N: **I don't really care much for reviews. All my stories are posted for me, but I am getting the vibe that there aren't many MakaxKid fans out there... or my writing for this couple sucks. Either way I will finish this project :p. Until next time~


	5. IV Bewitched

**Kid at Heart**

**Chapter Four – Bewitched **

"You sure this will be okay Kid?" Liz asked as they helped grab a few boxes and head towards the small cottage.

"I'm sure Maka won't have a problem," he assured his partner.

"She's not the one I'm worried about," the blond mumbled. He smiled lightly at her before adjusting his stance to open the door and let them through.

"Either way not much I can do about it. Father told Maka that Soul could live her, and it is normal for partners to live together. It helps them adjust to each other's soul wavelengths better."

"That still doesn't explain why _YOU_ have to live here too and we can't," Liz mumbled.

She looked a little distraught that Kid would be living elsewhere but they both knew there wasn't anything he could do. Not that he would if he wanted to. It might sound bad but he had no intention of questioning his father on this. He kind of wanted to live with the young meister and her weapon. In fact he barely batted an eye lash when his father told him the news.

"Father's orders," he said dismissing the subject as he pushed open the door. Besides he wasn't about to push Maka from her home and force her to live with him. That would only infuriate her, and there wasn't enough room for the Thompson sister's to join him here. It was a temporary solution. He wasn't going to be living here forever, and he had explained that to both of his partners.

It had taken a bit longer than expected for him to pack his things. He took only what was absolutely necessary and his mansion would now be used as a giant storage center for all his art and other things. It would also serve as Liz and Patty's new home for just the two of them, and he really tried hard to ignore them when they spoke of redecorating. Not that he cared all that much. It felt like it would be kind of refreshing to experience something so new and different. He was looking forward to living with Maka and Soul. Who were currently on the couch, bickering about something.

Two weeks the new weapon and technician had lived together without problem or incident, but they had begun to discover that they were very different from each other. They became fast friends despite their differences though, and Maka quickly became the top student of their class. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.

Until that is the other night there was a reported sighting of the witch Medusa. Maka and Soul had been out on the town grabbing dinner when it happened thankfully, since the witch was seen disappearing into the woods. The two had lived with him for a few days at his insistence, but Maka was rather stubborn about returning to their home. Soul suggested they start looking for places to live in the city, and while Maka agreed they had yet to find a place. So to ensure her safety his father had assigned him to live with them until things cooled back down. It was better to be safe rather than sorry, a motto Kid liked to live by as well. And Maka seemed excited to have another friend to live with, so really there was hardly anything to worry about. It had even worked out so they all had their own rooms. The cottage had two bedrooms, one bathroom and a half bathroom, living room, kitchen and a rather spacious attic. Maka had volunteered to take the attic because it had more room for bookshelves, leaving a room open for Kid.

"Don't go rearranging our kitchen!" Soul shout interrupted his thoughts.

He had let his body go into auto pilot as he had started to unpack his belongings in the new cozy room. Liz had left just a few moments ago, muttering something about needing to watch Patty better after a phone call. Apparently the younger sister had broken into a day care and complained about the lack of giraffes and then made one out of paper, only to destroy it in front of small children. Kid shook his head at the thought. Only his partners… but back to his current problem, his new roommate that was glaring daggers at him from his open door. He leaned out of his room to smile sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as he leaned against the door frame. His shoulders fell on either side so that his back was pressed dead center into the middle of it. Perfectly symmetrical.

"But its way easier to find things this way," he said gesturing to the now perfectly ordered kitchen. Soul's eyebrow twitched.

"Maybe for you," Soul hissed.

"It's fine Soul. It's Kid's turn to cook tonight anyways," Maka said popping up from the couch. She grinned at them before turning back to face the television.

"You guys mean there is no one to cook for you?" he asked lightly.

"Well duh," Soul said. He was somehow a lot calmer as he made his way to the couch sat beside Maka.

"Ah," he answered. He awkwardly stood there for a moment letting his mind race ahead of him. It wasn't like he had never cooked before, but it had been more of a way to starve off boredom or to experiment with something new; now it would be a way to actually provide for his new friends. He wondered briefly if Maka would be impressed any. An idea flashed before his eyes as he smiled and made his way to the kitchen.

"How does tomato soup and grilled cheese sound?" he asked over his shoulder as he pulled on an apron.

Soul merely raised his thumb in approval. Maka grinned over the couch.

"Sounds great!"

()()()()()()()()()

It was later in the evening and Kid was unsurprised to find himself alone with Maka. Soul was tired, it was a school night, and although the kid claimed to be too cool for going to bed early on a school night, that is exactly what the resident scythe did. Although with both of his companions buried in their books in preparation for school the next day, Soul and grumbled about how lame they were before closing his door and playing some soothing jazz records. The noise of which could be heard out from under his door faintly.

Maka was sprawled out on the couch, a book tucked in her lap. The light from the lamp behind her seemed to only light her up and she looked alarmingly angelic.

It took several moments of page flipping and awkward glances at each other before Kid finally gathered the courage to clear his throat. Maka looked up expectantly, her green eyes seemed less dull and much more vivid in the light provided. He swallowed hard.

"I hope that it isn't a bother that I am staying here as well," he settled on saying after a pause.

"It isn't a bother at all. I am really enjoying having both you and Soul around. You two are my newest friends after all," she grinned widely at him. It would have been the end of the conversation but Maka was still looking at him like she was studying him.

"You know I figured out that you and I were supposed to be betrothed," she said once it became clear that he couldn't find any more words to produce. It was then that he felt a solid blush stain his cheeks. His neck flushed too, but thankfully it was hidden by his shirt.

"Yes I figured that out as well," he answered back calmly. He turned his attention back to his book, but he could feel her burning gaze.

"I feel like I do know you from before all of this though. It is such an odd feeling… to be comfortable with a stranger… and to know that the marriage you resent so much wouldn't be terrible if it was with that stranger."

"I'm glad to know you respect me that much," he told her smiling after mulling over her words for a second. He decided not to look too far into what she was saying, other than she was grateful for their blossoming friendship. "I don't think it would have been awful to marry you either. I'm still annoyed that Father tried to push this on us… but I guess he can be a little old fashioned at times."

"I'm just…" she trailed off, her eyes glazed over as she lost herself in her own thoughts. He smiled warmly and chuckled.

"It is a lot to take in at one time. However, I don't see why our parents should dedicate how we interact with each other from now on," he told her breaking her from her thoughts.

"That is exactly what I was trying to phrase," she exhaled with a nervous chuckle. "I'd like to get to know you, Kid," she added quietly and smiled warmly at him.

"I would like to get to know you as well, Maka."

In that moment things seemed to shift between the two. Like a pivot had been made, and it was one that Kid couldn't quite figure out. He was though, relieved at their conversation, and all the pent up anxiety seemed to disappear with their small exchange. He had never felt so close yet so distant to any one person before. The feeling was alien, and often times he found himself staring a little too deeply into her eyes. He could admit to himself, in some small degree, that Maka had him rather bewitched. Her mind was fascinating, and he found himself seating on the edge of his seat with every word she said.

They spent the rest of the evening exchanging small talk and theories about different books. It was quite late before the pair noticed the time and excused themselves back to their rooms for school the next day. It was kind of sad really, how unaware that the small peace they had found wouldn't be able to last much longer.

* * *

**A/N: **I know this is a little shorter than normal and I apologize for that. But size shouldn't matter right? ;). Until next time everyone


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